Evolution
by justanoutlaw
Summary: Once upon a time, Ella and Drizella were sisters.


_Prompted by queen-of-the-merry-men: GlassVines (Ivy and Jacinda) "please don't do this, don't act like you care."_

Ella hated moving, she never got used to it. Despite her mother's efforts, they never seemed to stay in one place very long. They didn't have much money and the landlords came knocking on their door, ready to evict them. Then she had met Marcus and they fell in love, a wedding came not long after that. Ella got to wear a grand dress, feeling beautiful, though a bit out of place. She wasn't sure how to feel about Marcus, but he seemed very nice. He wanted to make their family work.

Anastasia and Drizella were nice enough, the former tried very hard. Drizella was quiet, clearly just as confused about everything as the rest of them. Her mother had told her that Rapunzel had been killed while trying to heal Marcus and she understood the pain. She had lost her father and she could barely remember him. She couldn't imagine losing her mother on top of it.

The manor was quiet, the wedding had long winded down. Marcus and Cecelia had headed off on their honeymoon, the nanny being left in charge of the three girls. Ella sat on her bed, in her new bedroom, finding it hard to sleep. She heard a tiny knock on her door, followed by someone struggling to push it open. She knew it couldn't be one of the maids or Anastasia, they could handle the doors just fine. Getting up, she crossed over and opened it, finding Drizella on the other side. She was in her nightgown, a teddy bear far too big for her in her arms.

"Drizella," she frowned a little bit. "What are you doing up?"

"I could hear you moving around."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Drizella shook her head. "I couldn't sleep my first night here either…do you want to have a sleepover?"

Ella softly smiled. "Okay."

She lead her inside, helping her up onto the bed. They laid side by side, looking at one another.

"Papa says we're sisters now," Drizella whispered. "Since he married your mother."

Ella paused. She had never had any siblings, but she supposed Marcus was right. Her mother had said they were a family now. "I guess we are."

"You don't have a papa."

"I don't."

"I don't have a mommy. I'll share my papa with you, if you share your papa with me."

The words coming from the 5-year-old touched Ella's heart. She pulled her closer, making sure she was warm beneath the heavy covers.

"It's a deal," she whispered.

The sleepovers became somewhat of a tradition. Whenever anything exciting happened or even something bad, they'd cuddle under Ella's covers, talking about it. When Rapunzel returned and Drizella was scared of what it meant, Ella snuck into her room and assured her they'd still be a family.

Then came the day that Cecelia disappeared and it seemed as though she left their family. Rapunzel moved back into the manor while Marcus went to search for her, but they all knew the truth. It was going to be permanent.

Ella hadn't left her room, she refused to eat. Anastasia was busy baking cookies with Rapunzel, but Drizella felt out of place there. She always did with her mother, ever since she returned. She could barely remember her before she was taken. She knew it hurt her and she didn't meant it to, it was just that she didn't know how to be her daughter. She had spent so much time thinking she was dead.

Heading up the stairs, she found herself lingering outside Ella's room. Drizella and Anastasia had been told to stay out, to let her be, but she couldn't listen. Over the years, it had gotten easier for her to push the door open. On the other side, she found Ella curled up on her bed. Drizella crawled up in front of her and could see that she had been crying.

"Papa will find her," Drizella whispered. "He's smart, he could find anyone."

Ella shook her head. "Not if she doesn't want to be found."

"Ella…"

"Why did she leave, Drizzy? Why aren't I good enough?"

That alone brought tears to Drizella's eyes. She curled up under her sister's arms, clinging tightly to her. They both cried, mourning the mother that they felt had abandoned them.

It would be the last sleepover they had. Anastasia died not long after that, Marcus' own death was only a few years later. Ella was turned to be a maid and Drizella felt that she had to please her mother, so she pushed her away. In time, Ella would get away and Drizella would be stuck with Rapunzel, realizing that nothing would make her happy. Not unless she magically became her precious Anastasia.

The curse was set, they lived their lives in Hyperion Heights. Ivy and Jacinda were step-sisters, just as Ella and Drizella were. The only difference was, they had no sweet backstory. Jacinda couldn't quit remember why Ivy hated her so much and why she insisted on sucking up to her mother. It killed Drizella on some level, to watch the sister she had once adored go through so much hell. That was all Victoria's doing, not her own.

When Lucy was hospitalized, she pushed aside her own conflicted feelings over Anastasia. She had to go see Ella, she had to check on her niece. Walking into the room, she found Jacinda slumped down in a chair, her cheeks tear stained. She looked defeated. If there was one thing different between Jacinda and Ella, it was that the former gave up way too quickly. Slowly, Drizella stepped closer.

"I heard," she said, softly, causing Jacinda's head to whip up and look over at her. Any sadness in her eyes, vanished and she started to glare.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to visit my niece."

"Since when have you ever acted like she was your niece?"

 _Well, you did turn me into a statue before I could._ "Look, I'm just here to help you…I don't see Nick anywhere…"

"Please don't do this," Jacinda said, her voice cracking. "Don't act like you care. Are you here for your mother? To report back to her that I screwed up, so maybe she'll try to get custody again?"

Drizella stared at her, blinking a few times. She remembered the sleepovers, the tea parties, the fun times they had together. None of that was there anymore in Jacinda's mind. Heck, even when the curse broke, that wouldn't be there. Ella would remember her as the evil step-sister that tried to kill her husband, that wanted to set the curse in the first place.

She had no one. She was alone.

"I hope Lucy feels better," Drizella said quickly, turning on her heel and walking briskly out of the room.

She had to find Anastasia, she had a plan to follow through on.


End file.
